Award Criteria and Classification

The Award Criteria and Classification Regulations cover the academic requirements for all HE taught courses in the University. They include the number of credits needed to achieve each award, and the classification system in use on each type of course.

The University has introduced new undergraduate regulations related to how the final classification is calculated.

The new regulations will only impact students graduating in 2020.

Previously, only the grades a student achieved in their final year would have been taken into account when calculating the final degree classification. From 2020, the majority of graduating UG students will have their final classification calculated using 2 separate algorithms. The first will remain the same and recognise achievement from the final year only while the second will include achievement from year 2 with the final year.

Both ways of calculating will be run on every student profile, where there is a variation, the higher degree classification will be awarded. This is to make sure the final degree outcome reflects the overall performance. Detail of both algorithms can be found in the course regulations on this page and on the assessment regulations page.

Please note that to assure the standards of all University of the Arts London awards it is a requirement to have external examiners verify the level of student achievement. This involves sampling the assessment outcomes from units that contribute to the calculation of the award. The University cannot award degrees without this external scrutiny. Therefore from October 2018 onwards external examiners will be required to ratify level 5 student achievement in the same way they currently do for Level 6.

If you are a student in the final year of undergraduate study who enrolled prior to September 2017 you are not impacted by this change. Please consult the following document: